I 've owned my Magregor venture 25 for 5 years now and have only day sailed. but have always wanted to camp out on my boat in Lake Pointchatrain. The other day I got to speek with a guy on the New Orleans Cost Guard and he said I could camp out on the lake as long as I was not anchored near any main water ways . wich I woldn't any way. But is there any threds on anchoring and the proper way to do it. I found a nice little spot of to the side that would be good. there aren't any morings so I would have to rely on my anchors and am not shure of proper markers besides a bow light and stern light. any help is appreciated.

When anchoring at night, the regs state that you must show a 360 degree white anchor light. This could be located anywhere on the boat, the higher the better. I have a battery operated LED light that I use on the stern rail. During the day, you have to show a black anchor ball when anchored in an area that is not a "special anchorage". I use a ball that I bought at West Marine, and I hoist it up the jib halyard and secure the bottom end to a deck cleat. "Special anchorage" is usually marked on the chart, but is still subject to some interpretation. The USCG will ticket for this offense on SFO Bay. So I always fly the anchor ball, just to be sure.

I have an "05" , and there isn't any anchor light supplied with the boat. What I do is attach a battery powered Colman lantern to a halyard, and run it up the mast. It stays there all night. I don't anchor at night very often, so for me, this is better than a mod to attach an anchor light to the mast.

Thanks guys. I always get good answaers on this site. I aint worried about the gators they don't like the lake to much but they love all the little canals. and the spot I have chosen is not in the way of any of the shrimp boats. might get a few early morning fishers casting a line but no trafic.

I went to the trouble of installing an Orca Green Marine LED anchor light at the top of the mast of Bossa Nova; if I'd thought things through better, I wouldn't have done this, because a Davis MegaLight (the one mdeane is talking about) tied a few feet up the boom's topping lift would do just as well.

Actually, in many anchorages, a light at the top of the mast is not such a good idea. It's too high to be noticed by people who might be buzzing around the anchorage in their dinghies or runabouts.

I even used it as a masthead light one time on SFO Bay in the fog, when one of the pins broke on my masthead light connector. I just strapped it to the mast, facing forward, as high up as I could place it.